Letter to the editor: We shouldn't be so quick to erect walls

Regarding Phillip Schneider's recent letter to the editor (Feb. 25), which criticized Leonard Pitts' column on "Who Is the Thug?": The column discusses the tragic death of a 17-year-old black man who was shot by Michael Dunn, a white man.

Schneider asserts, "Pitts doesn't understand that when people of any race see young people that have a different look, such as tattoos all over their bodies, their pants falling off of their behinds, dancing and pushing and shoving each other, they are bound to be scared and lock their car doors."

Having worked as a volunteer in a prison and a county jail, I've met many people who display the cosmetic persona that Schneider describes. In many cases, I've found that underneath that persona is a basically good person with a warm heart.

Many times, our actions are dictated by our perceptions. We perceive something as a threat and we put up a wall to protect ourselves. In many cases, our perceptions serve us well. However, sometimes our perceptions can deceive us. Perhaps we would be making a better investment in humanity's infrastructure if we first tried to build a bridge rather than to automatically put up a wall.

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Letter to the editor: We shouldn't be so quick to erect walls

Regarding Phillip Schneider's recent letter to the editor (Feb. 25), which criticized Leonard Pitts' column on 'Who Is the Thug?': The column discusses the tragic death of a 17-year-old black man who